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[41]
So this Antiochus got together fifty thousand footmen, and five thousand
horsemen, and fourscore elephants, and marched through Judea into the mountainous
parts. He then took Bethsura, which was a small city; but at a place called
Bethzacharis, where the passage was narrow, Judas met him with his army.
However, before the forces joined battle, Judas's brother Eleazar, seeing
the very highest of the elephants adorned with a large tower, and with
military trappings of gold to guard him, and supposing that Antiochus himself
was upon him, he ran a great way before his own army, and cutting his way
through the enemy's troops, he got up to the elephant; yet could he not
reach him who seemed to be the king, by reason of his being so high; but
still he ran his weapon into the belly of the beast, and brought him down
upon himself, and was crushed to death, having done no more than attempted
great things, and showed that he preferred glory before life. Now he that
governed the elephant was but a private man; and had he proved to be Antiochus,
Eleazar had performed nothing more by this bold stroke than that it might
appear he chose to die, when he had the bare hope of thereby doing a glorious
action; nay, this disappointment proved an omen to his brother [Judas]
how the entire battle would end. It is true that the Jews fought it out
bravely for a long time, but the king's forces, being superior in number,
and having fortune on their side, obtained the victory. And when a great
many of his men were slain, Judas took the rest with him, and fled to the
toparchy of Gophna. So Antiochus went to Jerusalem, and staid there but
a few days, for he wanted provisions, and so he went his way. He left indeed
a garrison behind him, such as he thought sufficient to keep the place,
but drew the rest of his army off, to take their winter-quarters in Syria.

Flavius Josephus. The Works of Flavius Josephus. Translated by. William Whiston, A.M. Auburn and Buffalo. John E. Beardsley. 1895.

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